Families mark a year since Air India crash with vigils and prayers

Family members of victims visited the crash site, carrying portraits of the loved ones they lost last year. Families mark a year since Air India crash with vigils and prayers Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Akash Patni, 12, was among those killed on the ground when the plane fell from the sky Akash Patni (seen in the photo) was engulfed in flames when the plane crashed in the ground Families of the people killed in the Air India plane crash are holding vigils and prayer meeting to mark a year since one of the country's deadliest aviation disasters. The Air India Flight 171 to London crashed seconds after taking off from Ahmedabad, slamming into a medical college and killing 260 people - 241 passengers and crew on board and 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived. The cause of crash is still not known. On Friday, investigators provided an update on the investigation. The cause of crash is still not known. On Friday, investigators The evidence, they said, was being "analysed in a comprehensive and integrated manner" and that a final report would be published once the investigation was over. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had said earlier in the day that the investigation was proceeding "with diligence and professionalism". "We remain committed to a thorough and objective determination of the causes of the accident and to further enhancing aviation safety," he wrote on X, offering condolences to the families. Across cities, prayer meetings, vigils and memorial services are being held. Families told the BBC that the first anniversary is a painful milestone - a reminder that while a year has passed, their grief remains undimmed. Investigation into cause of Air India crash ongoing, officials say A year after Air India crash, families still wait for answers In Ahmedabad, reminders of that day are impossible to ignore. The crash site is still cordoned off. Behind the barriers stand blackened buildings that bear the scars of the impact, while flower garlands, photographs and handwritten messages left by relatives have transformed the area into an informal memorial. On Friday, families of victims came carrying portraits of loved ones. Some bowed their heads in silent prayer; others embraced as tears flowed freely. A bouquet of flowers lies on the ground at the crash site on the one-year anniversary A bouquet of flowers lies on the ground at the Air India plane crash site on the one year anniversary of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, 12 June 2026. Among them was the family of 12-year-old Akash Patni, who lost his life when the aircraft crashed near the tea stall where he was helping his family. For hours, his relatives sat on mats beneath a garlanded photograph of Akash at the crash site. Rose petals lay scattered across the ground. Behind them loomed the hollow, charred remains of the medical college hostel buildings. His mother Sitaben, who suffered severe burn injuries that day, recited Hindu hymns and prayers alongside other family members. Thursday marked the first time she had returned to the site since the crash. She spent weeks in hospital recovering from her injuries. At times, she broke down in tears as relatives gathered around to comfort her. Earlier in the day, the British High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron, paid her respects to the victims. Fifty-three British nationals were among those killed in the crash. On Saturday, a memorial service will be held in Leicester to honour the memory of the victims. Earlier in the day, the British High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron, paid her respects to the victims. Fifty-three British nationals were among those killed in the crash. On Saturday, a will be held in Leicester to honour the memory of the victims. Nearby, at BJ Medical College - where the plane crashed - staff, students and families gathered for a memorial event. The college also organised a blood donation drive, commemorating those who lost their lives in the disaster. Sitaben breaks down in front of her son Akash's portrait near the crash site Sitaben Patni, a survivor and the mother of Akash Patni, 14, who died in an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash on June 12, 2025, mourns in front of her son’s portrait near the crash site during the first anniversary in Ahmedabad, For some families, the remembrance is taking place away from the crash site. When the BBC visited the Thakur family in Ahmedabad last week, photographs of Sarlaben Thakur and her two-year-old daughter Aadhya looked down from the walls of their small home. Both were killed when the plane crashed into a hostel complex of the college. When the BBC visited the Thakur family in Ahmedabad , photographs of Sarlaben Thakur and her two-year-old daughter Aadhya looked down from the walls of their small home. Both were killed when the plane crashed into a hostel complex of the college. The family marked the first anniversary of their deaths with a prayer meeting at a nearby temple. Their home was too small to accommodate the nearly 200 relatives, neighbours and friends expected to attend, Sarlaben's daughter, Uma Thakur, said over the phone on Friday. The Thakurs called 12 June a "black day". The grief is still so raw, they said, that they have removed the clocks from their house. Even glancing at the time could transport them back to the frantic hours after the crash, when they searched hospitals and mortuaries across Ahmedabad for any sign of Sarlaben and Aadhya. The Thakurs hold photos of Sarlaben and Aadhya The Thakurs hold photos of their daugthers, Sarlaben and Aadhya For years, the family has run a tiffin service for doctors and medical staff around BJ Medical College, and Sarlaben spent much of her life cooking for others. Despite their limited means, the Thakurs are preparing a meal for everyone who comes to pray. A year on, traces of Sarlaben and Aadhya still surface in the family's preparations. Uma Thakur catches herself wondering what they would have liked to eat, how many people might come and where everyone should sit. "In this way, they continue to occupy a place in our home," she says. The family is especially keen to serve one of Aadhya's favourite meals - crunchy noodles and Manchurian. "We hope this will bring us all some peace, at least for some time," Uma Thakur says. In neighbouring Maharashtra state, memorial services were being held in Mumbai, home to both pilots and several members of the cabin crew. In Nhava village in Uran taluka of Navi Mumbai, the family members of cabin crew member Maithili Patil gathered for a prayer meeting to mark the first anniversary of her death. Nine months after the crash, Maithili's bag was returned to the family. On Friday, it was placed alongside some of her personal belongings as relatives and friends gathered to remember her. The loved ones of crew member Maithili Patil paid tributes to her at a prayer meeting in Mumbai A framed photo of a smiling young woman is surrounded by garlands and flowers Maithili's watch which was placed among her personal belongings at the prayer meeting The watch of Maithili Patil, one of the crew members who died in the plane crash The family is still waiting to learn exactly how the crash occurred and who, if anyone, should be held responsible. "My daughter will never come back to me. I only want the truth about what caused this accident," her mother, Pramila Patil, told BBC Marathi last week. The crash left just one survivor. For Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a year has done little to lessen the weight of that day. In a statement, he said that he continued to "live with the significant psychological scars" following the death of his brother in the crash. , he said that he continued to "live with the significant psychological scars" following the death of his brother in the crash. "More than anything, people need honesty, transparency and answers. Nothing will ever change what happened, but families deserve clarity," he said. With reporting inputs from Charlotte Scarr, BBC News; Roxy Gagdekar Chhara, BBC Gujarati and Shahid Shaikh, BBC Marathi. A statement said "significant progress" had been made into investigating the crash which left 260 people dead a year ago. Patnala Suresh and his wife were looking forward to celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary this month. The US military had attacked the Palau-flagged tanker on Wednesday after accusing it of not complying with directions. The protesters warn wasteful government spending risks driving the country into bankruptcy. She was the most visibly accomplished member of the royal family. The princess had been in a coma for more than three years, and was 47 at the time of her death. The AAIB says the flight had 180 passengers and six crew members on board and was flying to Málaga. Hampshire villagers have raised funds for a bench in memory of Ketan Shah.